Harry and Meghan release adorable video of Archie as they read a story to him for Save The Children

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have marked their son Archie’s first birthday today by releasing a short film that shows Meghan reading him one of his favourite books, Duck! Rabbit!, to support Save the Children’sSave With Stories campaign aimed at helping children hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis both here in the UK and around the world.

The film, shot by Harry in California last weekend and posted on Save the Children’s Instagram account, shows Archie perched on his mother’s lap in a white t-shirt and nappy and turning the pages of Duck! Rabbit! as she reads.

The Duchess laughs as Archie’s attention momentarily wanders and he throws another book to the floor. The Duke is heard cheering at the end of the story. Archie responds by saying, ‘Da, da, da.’

The reading of Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal – Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld – is part of an initiative called Save With Stories that was created by Save the Children to raise money for children around the world who have been hardest hit by Covid-19 whilst highlighting the plight of millions of pupils whose education has been disrupted by the virus.

Last month, the couple announced the name of their new charitable organisation, Archewell. The name was inspired by the name of their son and after the Greek word Arche, which means source of action.

The Coronavirus crisis is hitting families hard – and the poorest families hardest of all. Four million children in the UK lived in poverty before Coronavirus struck and worldwide an estimated 1.5 billion children are out of school, putting the most vulnerable children are at real risk.

Save the Children UK Ambassador Poppy Delevingne has led the initiative for Save With Stories in the UK and other celebrities who have read include Helen Mirren, Jude Law, Stephen Fry and the singers Rita Ora and Liam Payne. The initiative has already raised more than £1m in America.

New videos are posted every day at 5pm on Save the Children UK’s Instagram and Facebook pages. To donate visit savethechildren.org.uk/savewithstories or you can text STORIES to 70008 to give a one-off donation of £5*. All money raised will support the most vulnerable families in the UK and around the world, helping to provide supermarket vouchers, essential household items, virus protection and early learning packs.